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“I’m so delighted they loved the product enough to invest – I was overwhelmed. But ultimately, it wasn’t the right decision for me or the brand.”

Stuart said that he deliberated the offer carefully before he decided to walk away.

He said: “It took a lot to turn down £80,000, especially from someone as renowned as Peter Jones.

“I just wasn’t prepared to give up 10 per cent of my whole estate – it’s everything I’ve worked for and it needs to be completely my own.”

House of Elrick Gin is made from juniper, coriander, citrus, angelica, pink peppercorn, sweet fennel, heather and rose petals plus fresh water drawn from Loch Ness.

Farmer’s son Stuart said: “The House of Elrick estate is pretty incredible and we have big plans. Our on-site distillery is due to open later this year which means we’ll be branching out into other spirits.

Stuart said all the Dragons were please to see his bottles of gin in the den (Image: Publicity Picture)

“We also want to open a second distillery and restaurant serving sustainable, local food with a creative twist, staying true to our heritage.”

Stuart was born in Aberdeen and raised on the family farm at Elrick.

He is passionate about Aberdeenshire and says his vision is to boost tourism and create a “must-go” destination.